Zephyr
by KT the Shimmer Skank
Summary: She came without warning, a storm blown off course, crashing into your safe harbor. Spanny fluff. Oneshot.


Zephyr--

By KT the Shimmer Skank

Rating: PG-13 for language, vague nudity, and sexual references

Spoilers: Many season four spoilers, most specifically the episodes Anywhere I Lay My Head, Islands in the Stream, Time Stands Still, and Neutron Dance.

Author's Notes: Haha, okay, so I'm obsessed. Sue me. Actually, no, DON'T sue me, because I definitely do not own Degrassi. I also do not own "The Zephyr Song" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, to which this story is a songfic. Just a slight warning, this is kind of fluffy. As close to fluff as I'm going to get, anyway. You could see it as a continuation of Pretty Lies, or as its own entity. Pretty Lies was really just a warm-up for this baby. I hope it is enjoyed, and reviews are muchos appreciated.

Update: Sadly, the lyrics have been removed. Boooo.

o o o o o o o o o

As her skin tumbled across the purple sheets, an endless circle of flesh and freedom, you forgot yourself for a moment. You were far away, in that place, that nameless place that you shared with her. Her silksoft hands pressed lightly against your shoulders, raven hair pouring over the pillows, teeth gently grazing her flawless olive skin. And for once it didn't matter about... anything else. School, the band, Craig, Jimmy... All that bull shit slipped quickly through the holes she put in your head with her acid kisses. Fuck the world, you thought. For today, at least. This was your escape. The lazy Saturday shielded you from the harsh realities of the world, as you wasted away the afternoon banging your boo.

Later, you sat with her in the wreckage of the bed. She glowed subtly, dried sweat on her face, hair soft and streaming, wearing your Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt. Chilly December skies waited outside the window, and she kept close to you to stay warm. She giggled as you drew idly on her hand, writing in doodled letters, "Spinner Loves Manny." You placed a kiss on her forehead as you both laughed about it. You reached over and turned on the lamp at your bedside, so that you could admire the empty cliche emblazoned on her skin. Now God and everyone could see just what she meant to you. Except, no one but the two of you would probably ever see it.

You wondered to yourself how hilarious and bizarre it was that she was here with you now. Could anyone have seen it coming? You certainly hadn't. She came without warning, a storm blown off course, crashing into your safe harbor. You knew all about her, the stories, the rumors, the scandals. You never thought you'd actually get caught up in her, but you did. You stumbled into her, carefree at first, and you found that she was ten thousand times more intricate and tasty than any rumor could ever claim.

Paige was always so strong. She got pissed off whenever you called her "baby." She was nobody's baby. Her fortress was made of walls you could never conquer. Manny was strong, too. You knew that, you felt it in her. You knew what they said about her, about what she had endured. Beneath her prettiness, there was real strength. But unlike Paige, she was still willing to pretend for you. She would let you hold her and control her and let you think you were her everything. She would smile and be weak and let you guide her soft hands. She liked it when you called her baby.

You wondered what was going through the head that rested on your shoulder, as the two of you soaked in the lovely stupor of a Saturday with nothing to do. You often hoped that you wouldn't get bored with her. The dazzlingly short attention span of Spinner Mason was infamous. But you didn't want to get tired of Manny. You didn't want to run out of things to find out about her. Her wide brown eyes were full of secrets. She was always pretending, of course, being the Manny that felt most natural to her. But a witty comment here, a subtly profound observation there, and you knew that there were unexplored thoughts lurking underneath that mischevious smile. You hoped there would always be nooks and crannies of her left to explore, something to bide your time in between reality.

"You're such a poet, Gavin," she joked, smiling at her hand.

"Yeah, well, I've failed English enough times," you said, your lips close to her hair. "I was bound to catch on eventually." You pulled away from her and leaned over the side of the bed, making her fuss about the loss of her cushion, and rummaged around the floor until you found the remote to your stereo. You hit play, and The Postal Service spilled from the speakers, hanging dreamily over the sex-scented room.

She was quick to reclaim you as you crawled back towards her, resting her cheek on your chest. "Ew, Spinner. This music is totally emo."

You cocked your eyebrows and smirked condescendingly at her. "Um, okay, _Craig._"

"Hey!" She tried so hard to look angry as she punched you in the stomach, but you didn't buy it. That smile of hers lit up and you had to wonder why it never got old. "That was way below the belt, buddy."

"Oh?" You reached forward and tickled her, knowing by now the exact spot that would get to her. "And just what are you going to do about it?"

Her laughter bounced off the walls as she tried to fight you off, tumbling, spinning, joking around. She let you win, like always. She wanted to be won over by you. You beamed as you looked down at her, her shoulders pinned beneath your hands. She pretended to pout, but her pink lips spread quickly into a grin, bewildering and fooling you like the Mona Lisa. You dropped your lips to meet hers, tasting the freedom of her mouth. She always managed to take you somewhere you'd never been.

You realized your knee was pressing into her side, and you apoligized and let her slide out from under you. She rolled off the bed and pranced over to the stereo, pushing stop on the song you were so digging and shuffling through your cluttered pile of loose CDs. "Dude. Are you messing with my music?"

She nodded nonchalantly as she flipped through a stack of discs. "Sorry, babe, but this mopey stuff isn't working for me today."

You didn't bother to argue, though. Instead you sighed contentedly and flopped back on the bed. You stared at the pale yellow lines of light that shone through the blinds onto the ceiling. You rolled over on your side and admired Manny's curves as she stood on her toes to place the CD she'd picked into the player. You heard the familiar ska beats of Don't Tell Harry, the band you'd danced to together at the show last weekend. You watched her bop her head back and forth to the beat. Her dark hair danced across her face as she sang the words to your favorite song.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ears. She meandered over to your desk and picked up an open bag of potato chips. She reclined in your swivel chair, revealing her teal panties, and idly popped chips into her mouth as she looked around the room. "Sully's party?"

You groaned tiredly when she mentioned this. The last thing you wanted to think about then was your Saturday night plans. You were too tired for that crap. For Sully and parties and the world outside. It was so much better just to sit around doing nothing with Manny. "I'm not really in the mood for Sully tonight. I heard about some great show in Montreal. We should go."

She stared at you strangely. "You want to drive all the way to Montreal just to see a show?

"Yeah, sure. Better than doing the same old shit. We should just, go." Even as you said it, though, you knew you were lying. You didn't really have what it took to just get up and go. Gas was too expensive, curfew was too early, reality was too constraining. But it was nice to think about. Just driving away with her. "Are you up for it?"

She shrugged and ate another potato chip. "Whatever you say, Sticks."

Funny thing was, you knew she wasn't kidding. She would go anywhere, do anything. She was fearless. Reality did not exist to Manny Santos and you loved that about her. She would lie with you, play the game with you, live with you in your alternate universe. That was what everyone else, everyone who was baffled you two were still together, didn't get. They didn't get the freedom you had with each other, to be stupid, to be wreckless, to be lazy. To just... have fun. To have each other.

For a moment you really almost thought about doing it. Throw on some clothes, get in the car, put the keys in the ignition, drive far far away.

Kendra opened the door, and when she looked inside, you could tell by the look on her face she wished she'd knocked. She rolled her eyes, trying not to make direct eye contact with either of you, and outstretched the phone in her hand. "It's for you."

You took the phone from her hands and slammed the door less-than-gratefully in her face. "Yo," you said jovially. The voice on the other end was somber in comparison. Your mood plummetted as he told you the news, trying to explain things in a way that didn't sound too hopeless. When he was done talking you hung up the phone and tossed it to the floor. You sighed and sat down on the bed, your heart feeling heavy.

You felt Manny's eyes on you, ambiguous but probing. "Spinner? Baby? What's wrong?"

"That was Craig," you told her with some reluctance. "Jimmy's therapy hasn't been going so good and they're sending him to some special hospital in New York on Monday. Craig wanted me to know." It was reality calling you. Reality reminding you of the mistakes you've made. The wounds of guilt suddenly seemed freshly cut. You still hadn't spoken to Jimmy since the day of the shooting.

Manny came to you and sat beside you, looking at the phone on the floor. "I'm sorry. Maybe... maybe you should go see him."

Maybe wasn't really an option. There was no doubt you should go and see Jimmy. It had to be done. But you pictured him, lying in that hospital bed... it hurt too much to think about. You almost wanted to cry.

Somehow, Manny knew that you didn't want to be held. She knew that you wanted someone to hold. Instead of embracing you, she curled up next to you, waiting for your arms to pull her in. She let you be the strong one. It was strength she knew you needed. You buried your face in her hair, breathing her, clinging to her. Hoping that if you held tight enough, she would carry you both away.

"You still want to go that show?" you said quietly.

"If you do," she replied.

You nodded and let go of her. You searched the floor for your dirty jeans and slid them on. Manny followed suit, removing your grungy t-shirt and looking for her own clothes. You watched her hands as they snapped on her bra, and saw again what you wrote there. Spinner Loves Manny. And you did. You knew as you watched her that she would always excite you. Seeing her naked would never get old. Making her smile would never cease to make you happy. Telling stupid jokes with her would never bore you. Holding her and listening to music together would never lose its flavor. Manny was as endless as an ocean, her waters warm and inviting. You loved the laughter and the sex and the jokes and the games and the music and the way she made you feel like you were exactly who you wanted to be. You could swim in her forever.

Or so you hoped. You hoped that Manny would always be there, always be Manny. Suddenly you weren't worried any more that you would get bored with her. You were worried she'd get bored with you. You were scared the things you shared would suddenly lose her interest and she would move on to someone else. There were so many things in your life right now that didn't make sense. Questions still unanswered, issues still not resolved. The one thing you really needed to be stable was Manny. You needed her in your life.

She paused and looked at you, puzzled by your troubled eyes. "Something wrong?"

"No," you said, coming back down from your thoughts. "No, I was just thinking. I think I... I think I _should_ go visit Jimmy tomorrow, before he leaves. But... I need you to come with me. Is that okay?"

She smiled. It was different from her usual shining smile, the one you saw when you tickled her or kissed her or made her laugh. This was soft, simple. It was a smile that said, _I'm with you. _"Yeah, sure. That's fine."

You nodded, and the two of you finished getting dressed. You grabbed your keys off the table and left the house, ignoring Kendra's nagging reminder that you were supposed to call Mom if you decided to go out. You got in the car and drove far away. For the moment, you weren't thinking about Sunday's visit to Jimmy. You weren't thinking about any of the complications in your life. You weren't thinking about anyone but Manny. For a moment you forgot yourself, going to that nameless place that you shared with her.


End file.
